1. Copyright Notice
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the disclosure herein and to the drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2012-2013. Robert Batterson, All Rights Reserved.
2. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to delivery notification systems and methods, and more specifically, to a system and method for remote mail delivery notification.
3. Related Art
Presently, the U.S. Post Office has three basic types of delivery service: 1) door to door, 2) curbside, and 3) central mailboxes. Typically, notification in the context of a door-to-door delivery is not necessary, because the mail is delivered directly to the home or office. In the context of curbside delivery, several patents describe various systems for notification upon delivery to a curbside mailbox. The patents summarized below represent examples of curbside delivery notification. However, notification related to delivery to central mailboxes is not currently supported.
Central mailboxes are typically Post Office owned mailbox unit clusters that are positioned in neighborhoods or business complexes. Homeowners or business owners who live or work in the area are provided with as key by the Post Office to one of the mailbox units of the central mailbox nearest to them. Nevertheless, the central mailbox can be located some distance (e.g., hundreds of yards or many blocks away) from the home or office associated with the mail delivery at the central mailbox. In some cases, hilly or rough terrain can further lengthen the trip from the home or office to the central mailbox.
In many cases, a person may spend time looking or waiting for the mailperson, who delivers mail to the central mailbox, before the person makes the trip to the central mailbox to pick up the mail. If the person goes to the central mailbox and, in fact, the mailperson has not yet delivered the mail, the person has unnecessarily expended the effort to go to the central mailbox. This can be a frustrating experience and, for some people, very tiring or inconvenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,786,862 describes as method and system for remote notification of arrival of postal mail in a mailbox through a wireless transmitter and receiver. The system consists of a battery-powered motion sensor placed within an upper back portion of a standard, approved mailbox thereby to fastening means. When the mailbox door opens, the motion sensor is activated and automatically generates and transmits as wireless signal to a receiver located within as pre-determined proximity. The receiver is capable of providing both an audible and visual signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,843,340 describes as mail delivery alert system that includes a mailbox housing that encloses an interior space that defines an open front. A door is pivotally coupled to the housing and is movable between open and closed configurations relative to the open front. A first sensor is positioned in the housing so as to detect an opening of the door and a second sensor is positioned so as to detect the presence of an article, such as mail, in the open space of the housing. The system includes a transmitter and a processor. The processor includes programming for actuating the transmitter to transmit an alert signal through the air upon the first sensor detecting an opening of the door and the second sensor detecting the presence of an article in the open space of the housing. The system includes a receiver remote from the housing for receiving the alert signal.